Warm Bath and a Tender Hand
by Meghan Page
Summary: After Myrtle's execution, Misty takes care of Cordelia with a sweet bath.


**A/N**: I saw that "imagine your otp taking a bubble bath together" post floating around tumblr and then... this happened. Just an fyi, I'm operating under the assumption that these two have already consummated their relationship at this point, so this isn't a huge violation of Cordelia's privacy. Also, no smut, sorry!

* * *

Misty carefully sat Cordelia down on the edge of the bed, caressing her cheeks and wiping away the new tears that had fallen before hurrying across the room to the adjoining bathroom.

She knew Myrtle's funeral had been especially hard for her partner, and was glad she had thought to suggest they take separate cars for themselves and the girls. She had figured Cordelia would want the privacy to be able to break down away from the girls' prying eyes.

And break down she did. As soon as the car door had closed behind her, Cordelia had buried her head in Misty's neck, sobs tearing from her body. Misty simply held her, knowing there was nothing she could do but be there until the storm passed.

Cordelia cried the entire way home, only pulling herself together enough to stop the tears as she walked through the house. She made her way through the halls in an almost zombie-like trance, her hand limp in Misty's.

Misty's only objective was to get her upstairs and in bed as quickly as possible, with perhaps a detour to the tub to get cleaned up. Thankfully, the girls had seemed to know that this was not the right time to offer their condolences, and had let them pass without issue.

Misty left the bathroom door open behind her, keeping one eye on Cordelia as she drew a bath. She added some lavender-scented bath oils to the water, hoping the relaxing scent would help to soothe the woman's battered emotions.

Once the tub was filled and the temperature to her liking, Misty walked back to the bed, retrieving Cordelia and gently leading her to the bathroom.

Closing the door behind them, she turned back to her partner and began to undress her. Starting with the veiled headband and working downwards, Misty removed Cordelia's funeral clothes, trailing soothing touches and tender kisses along her exposed skin. Cordelia willingly submitted to Misty's ministrations, tilting her head back and keeping a hand on Misty wherever she moved.

Once Misty had gotten all of Cordelia's clothes off, she stepped back and quickly stripped off her own. She left them pooled on the floor and stepped into the tub, drawing Cordelia in after her.

Sitting down against the wall of the tub, she settled her partner in the vee of her legs, her thighs wrapped around Cordelia's hips. She gently pulled Cordelia's hair from its prim bun, allowing it spill down her back.

Scooping water in her cupped hands, she let it run over Cordelia's head and shoulders, wetting her silky tresses. She squeezed a dollop of shampoo into the palm of her hand and massaged it into Cordelia's scalp, working up a rich lather. Misty carefully rinsed her hair, holding her hand over Cordelia's forehead to block the suds from her eyes, then grabbed the bar of soap from its little dish.

As she was running it across the other woman's back, she saw her shoulders shudder with stifled sobs. Gently turning her in her arms, Misty lifted Cordelia's face to her own. They stared into each other's eyes, no words needed to express the depth of their emotions, then Cordelia burrowed into Misty's arms and cried once more. Misty let her, stroking her damp hair and placing kisses on the crown of her head, until the bath water had begun to cool.

When Cordelia finally quieted, Misty drew her face up again, softly kissing away her tears then pressing a tender kiss to her lips.

She picked up the soap and continued her ministrations, this time keeping Cordelia facing her, their legs crossed over each other. Once she was done, she carefully rinsed her partner's body and pulled the plug to the drain.

Stepping out of the tub, she wrapped herself in a towel and grabbed another for Cordelia. She caught the other woman's hand, steadying her as she stepped over the lip of the tub, then drew the towel over her shoulders, rubbing gently at her damp hair before wrapping it under her arms.

Taking her hand again, Misty lead Cordelia to her large four-poster bed, sitting her down at the end while she turned down the sheets. She then let her towel drop to the floor as she came back around in front of Cordelia, who stood and let her own towel fall away.

Cordelia crawled into bed and Misty followed her, pulling the covers up over them. They curled up close to one another, their legs tangled and their forehead resting together.

Misty watched as Cordelia's eyes fluttered shut and her breathing deepened, making sure she fell asleep peacefully.

"Love ya," she whispered, tenderly kissing her partner's forehead before snuggling down to sleep beside her.


End file.
